This lesson teaches Dutch question words: "wie" for people, "wat" for animals or things, and "welk(e)" for nouns, helping you ask clear questions like "Wie werkt als dokter?" and "Welk cadeau wil je?".
  1. "Wie" asks about one or more persons.
  2. "Wat" asks about animals or things.
  3. Which do you use with nouns.
Vraagwoord (Interrogative pronoun)Gebruik (Usage)Voorbeeldzin (Example sentence)
Wie (Who)Personen (People)Wie werkt als dokter? (Who works as a doctor?)
Wat (What)Dieren of zaken (Animals or things)Wat is je favoriete studie? (What is your favourite subject?)
Welk(e) (Which)Zelfstandige naamwoorden (Nouns)Welk cadeau wil je? (Which gift do you want?)

Exceptions!

  1. Which do you use with the het-woorden?
  2. Which do you use with de-words and plurals.

Exercise 1: Vraagwoorden (wie, wat, welk(e))

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Wat, Welk, Welke, Wie

1.
... taal spreek je thuis?
(Welke taal spreek je thuis?)
2.
... werkt als politieagent?
(Wie werkt als politieagent?)
3.
... heb je op de markt gekocht?
(Wat heb je op de markt gekocht?)
4.
... is je baas?
(Wie is je baas?)
5.
... leraar geeft les in jouw school?
(Welke leraar geeft les in jouw school?)
6.
... cadeau heb je gekregen?
(Welk cadeau heb je gekregen?)
7.
... is je favoriete studie?
(Wat is je favoriete studie?)

Exercise 2: Dialogue completion

Instruction: Complete the dialogue with the correct solution

1. ___ is jouw collega op kantoor?

( ___ is your colleague at the office?)

2. ___ doe je graag in je vrije tijd?

( ___ do you like to do in your free time?)

3. ___ beroep wil je later kiezen?

( ___ profession do you want to choose later?)

4. ___ studie past bij jou?

( ___ study suits you?)

5. ___ helpt je met de presentatie?

( ___ helps you with the presentation?)

6. ___ is de naam van je hond?

( ___ is the name of your dog?)

Understanding Dutch Question Words: Wie, Wat, and Welk(e)

This lesson introduces essential Dutch question words, specifically wie, wat, and welk(e). These words are fundamental when forming questions about people, animals, things, and nouns. Knowing how to correctly choose and use these question words helps you ask clear questions and improves your basic Dutch communication skills.

Key Question Words and Their Uses

  • Wie: Used to ask about people.
    Example: "Wie werkt als dokter?" (Who works as a doctor?)
  • Wat: Used to ask about animals or things.
    Example: "Wat is je favoriete studie?" (What is your favorite study?)
  • Welk(e): Used with nouns (substantives) and varies depending on the gender and number of the noun.
    Example: "Welk cadeau wil je?" (Which gift do you want?)

Details About Welk(e)

The form welk is used with het-woorden (neuter gender nouns), while welke is used with de-woorden (common gender nouns) and plural nouns. Understanding this distinction is important to match the question word properly with the noun it modifies.

Examples Summarized

  • Wie vraagt naar personen (people)?
  • Wat vraagt naar dieren of zaken (animals or things)?
  • Welk(e) past bij zelfstandige naamwoorden (nouns) met de juiste geslacht (gender) en getal (number)?

Differences Between English and Dutch Question Words

English typically uses "who" and "what" without gender or noun class distinctions, but Dutch requires selecting among wie, wat, and welk(e) based on noun gender and animacy. For example, English "which" corresponds to Dutch "welk(e)", and it must agree with the noun's gender and number.

Useful Dutch phrases related to question words include:

  • Wie is dat? – Who is that?
  • Wat doe je? – What do you do?
  • Welk boek wil je lezen? – Which book do you want to read?

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 19:30